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GAPS Meeting Highlights

Remember: No Guilt! No self-flogging! We start from where we are at and we go from there!

We do what GAPS we can. Ideally, we will be 100% GAPS. But it may be necessary to start slowly. That’s OK. It might be better for us in the long run. Do what you can, congratulate yourself for what you have accomplished for improving your health!

Why do some broth batches taste better than other batches? Here are a few possibilities: Leave some meat on the bones; if the bones are raw, brown the meat prior to making the broth. Cook a batch of broth for no longer than 30-36 hours, then reserve the liquid and start the process over again with fresh water. Some have found that broth cooking too long gives it a bitter taste.

What is “Die off?” How do I know if I might have it? What does one do about it? Die off can be a return to symptoms that made you decide to do GAPS Diet in the first place. Or it can be regression in GAPS children. It might feel like a low key case of the “flu.” It is likely to occur once starting the GAPS diet, when the terrain of the gut is changing from that of pathological organisms in a leaky gut to healthy flora in a better functioning gut. The transition is not always pleasant. What to do about it? Maybe you need to cut back on fermented foods, or wait to continue with a phase of the diet that you have started. Maybe cut back on the cod liver oil or the fat in your broth. It varies. Throughout the GAPS experience, tune into your body and listen to its wisdom.

Micro-organisms: WANTED: Dead or Alive!!! Most of us know that the beneficial organisms we are trying to ingest with fermented foods or probiotics. For the most part, avoid heating the micro-organisms so that they are alive and growing inside of us. If the die off is too difficult, some may need to ingest the organisms AFTER heating. Although they are no longer living, they can enhance our immune function anyway.

Bonus - end of the meeting film: Aquaponics! Thanks for bringing that Judy! Very informative, very exciting!

Wishing you the best of health!
Mary

Vegetable Medley

Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBrid

In a 5 liter enameled pan or a large glass jar add:

1 whole small cabbage, roughly cut

1 medium sized beet, sliced

1 teaspoon dill seeds or dill herb (fresh or dried)

1 handful of peeled garlic cloves

(The container should be half full of vegetables.)

Add 2 tablespoons of good quality sea salt

1 cup of kefir whey

Fill with filtered water until container is full.

Float a small plate on the top if necessary to keep vegetables submerged in the liquid. (Or pack using leaves at the top that will “secure” the smaller vegetables.) The vegetables must be submerged in the brine or they will get moldy.

Leave to ferment (covered, so the jar is not exposed to light) for 1-2 weeks.

When ready, the vegetables will be soft and tangy.

To stop the fermentation, move the jar into the refrigerator.

Add these vegetables to your soups and stews. Drink the brine diluted with water with your meals or between meals and eat the vegetables with meat.

When the brine and the vegetables start getting low, add fresh cabbage, beet, and garlic, some salt to taste, top up with water and ferment at room temperature again. To this vegetable medley you can add a few rosettes of cauliflower, sliced carrot, brussel sprouts, and broccoli.

You can have this vegetable medley going forever, as long as you keep feeding it with more fresh vegetables. The brine from this medley is an excellent remedy for any tummy upset, sore gums and sore throat.

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GAPS™ and Gut and Psychology Syndrome(TM) are the trademark and copyright of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. The right of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Patent, and Designs Act of 1988.